Eight veteran Knoxville Police Department officers have been promoted to new leadership positions, it was officially announced during a promotional ceremony held at the Civic Coliseum Auditorium on Thursday afternoon.
The promotions include two new members of the KPD’s command staff, as Lieutenants Darrell Griffin and Robert Taylor were elevated to the rank of Captain. Griffin and Taylor collectively boast over 55 years of law enforcement experience with the KPD.
Griffin has served with KPD since first becoming a Cadet in 1996. He was sworn in as a KPD officer in 1999. Over the past 25 years, Griffin has performed a variety of assignments at KPD, including as a Field Operations officer and supervisor, the commander of the department’s Mobile Field Force, the supervisor of the Special Crimes Unit and most recently as the executive officer for the Field Operations Central District.
Taylor was a part of KPD’s first-ever Cadet class, joining the department in that role in 1992. He became an officer after completing the KPD Training Academy in June 1994. He has spent the entirety of his 30-plus year career in Field Operations, serving as both a patrol officer and supervisor. Most recently, he was the Field Operations East District executive officer, where he helped spearhead a significant two-year reduction in homicides.
Griffin will take over as the Captain of the Field Operations Central District, which includes all of downtown Knoxville, South Knoxville and the area surrounding the University of Tennessee campus. Taylor has been assigned as the Captain of the Field Operations Support Division.
“Darrell and Rob are natural leaders who embody our organization’s vision and values,” said Chief Paul Noel. “Their dedication to our mission, problem-solving policing philosophy, and community engagement have been evident. I look forward to welcoming them to our command staff, seeing them excel in their new roles, and driving our agency forward.”
Sergeants Todd Foster and Jimmy Wilson were selected for promotion to Lieutenant. Foster has been with the KPD since 2001, while Wilson has served as a KPD officer since 2006. Foster has been assigned to the Field Operations Central District as a mid-watch supervisor. Wilson has been assigned to the Field Operations West District as a squad supervisor.
Officers Jafar Flemming, Matt Lawson, Phyllis Tonkin and Adam Winstead were selected for promotion to Sergeant. Flemming has over 25 years of experience with the KPD, while Lawson was sworn in as a KPD officer in 2009, serving on the Co-Responder Team since 2021. Tonkin joined the KPD in 2002 and Winstead joined the KPD in 2020 after previously serving as a police officer in Morristown, Tennessee. All four will supervise Field Operations squads.
“I am proud of these officers for their hard work and dedication,” Chief Noel said. “They have earned this opportunity. With that, they have also made a commitment to take on more responsibility and greater accountability. I am confident they are up to that challenge.”